It’s one of the bigger weekends of the season for the men’s and women’s volleyball Hurricanes as they hit the court for three important matches. 

The men’s Hurricanes will challenge the top team from the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association, the STU Tommies, on Saturday at 5pm in Fredericton, NB, while the women will visit the UNBSJ Seawolves on Saturday in Saint John, NB, before hosting the MSVU Mystics on Sunday at the Holland College Centre for Community Engagement in Charlottetown.

The men’s Hurricanes enter Saturday’s match at 5-6 and in third place in the ACAA; they have won two games in a row and three of their last four.  The Tommies are 9-1 and in first place in the conference; their only loss this season came at the hands of the UNBSJ Seawolves on January 16 in five sets.

In two meetings this season, the Tommies have earned victories over the Hurricanes in three and four sets on November 24 and 25 in Fredericton.

Last week’s Hurricanes men’s Athlete of the Week, Nicholas Menzies, looks forward to the challenge of facing the conferences first place team.

“This is our second meeting against STU this season and first of the second half.  Our team is coming off a strong win this past weekend.  We’ve practiced hard this week, and will need to be mentally prepared and carry the momentum into Saturday and show them we can compete.”

This is the final road game of the regular season for the Hurricanes; they will host their final three matches of the season at the Holland College Centre for Community Engagement on February 9 (vs STU), 10 (vs STU) and 16 (vs USA).

The women’s Hurricanes will travel to Saint John, NB on Saturday for a 5:30pm matchup with the UNBSJ Seawolves.

The ‘Canes sit in second in the ACAA with a record of 11-3, having won their last seven matches, while the Seawolves are tied for third at 9-6.

These two teams have met twice this season with UNBSJ picking up the five-set victory on November 10 in Saint John, before the ‘Canes won on December 2 in Charlottetown, 3-1.

The Hurricanes will then face the ACAA’s top team, the MSVU Mystics, on Sunday at 12:30pm at the Holland College Centre for Community Engagement.  The Mystics are 15-0 this season.

The only meeting with the Mystics this regular season for the Hurricanes took place on November 3 in Halifax where the Mystics earned the four-set victory.

Jasmine Smith has had a strong start to her time as a member of the Hurricanes since joining the roster in January.

“UNBSJ is a match that will help determine seeding so it’s a must that we come out ready.  They're strong competitors and run a fast offence, which always makes for a high energy game. Sunday against MSVU is also an integral game. We defeated them in pre-season play, but lost last semester, so we're hoping to come out with a strong match. They're undefeated right now, so we're looking to shake their confidence as playoffs approach. The Hurricanes and MSVU have gone back and forth for years, and we're looking forward to a gritty and competitive game.” 

All three games are available to watch online by visiting www.acaatv.ca.

For more information on ACAA volleyball, visit www.acaa.ca.

To connect with the volleyball Hurricanes, visit www.twitter.com/caneswvball and www.twitter.com/canesmvball.

For more information on the Holland Hurricanes, please visit www.hollandhurricanes.com, www.facebook.com/hollandhurricanes, www.twitter.com/hc_hurricanes and www.instagram.com/hollandhurricanes.

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